Ten Set Matches: Satoshi to Serve!
by Yami No Kaabii
Summary: Ryoma Echizen, late as always, runs to Seigaku - and falls through a portal to the Pokemon World! Meanwhile, Satoshi competes in the Thousand-Battle Arena, and nobody but Ryoma - in a Pikachu costume - and his enemies see the true battle here...
1. Prologue

**Ten Set Matches: Satoshi to Serve! Summary:**

Ryoma Echizen, late as always, runs to Seigaku - and falls through a portal to the Pokemon World! Meanwhile, Satoshi competes in the Thousand-Battle Arena, and nobody but Ryoma - in a Pikachu costume - and his enemies see the true battle here...

* * *

A certain short, black-haired regular of Seigaku tennis club was running like his life depended on it. He checked his watch for the umpteenth time while bouncing up and down on the pavement. He was more than ten minutes late to school. Why, oh why did it have to be _today_, Karupin? Ryoma Echizen thought at his cat, holding onto his red-and-white cap as he ran. He was going to miss the seniors' graduations! For Tezuka-buchou, for Fuji-senpai, for _everyone _there, he had to make it.

He had to.

Ryoma was intensely focused on the one event he was just about to miss - too focused. He didn't notice what he was going to run into until he had almost run into it. He looked down from the buildings of Seishun Gakuen just in time to notice the strange, floating mass of a cloudlike, off-white... something. It looked like something that should belong in a lava lamp from times of old, not suspended in mid-air and blocking his entryway to the school. And it was_ huge_.

Ryoma tried to stop his crazy running once he had spotted the whatever-it-was. He dugs his heels into the ground and slowed down just a bit, but his momentum continued to carry him forward. If he had been quick enough to notice the something, maybe he could've stopped and climbed over the wall or something. Maybe he would have been able to see his senpais graduate and move on to high school. Maybe it was just as well he couldn't right then. Maybe... But maybes wouldn't help anyone.

Ryoma was thinking all of this as he skidded on the concrete, trying to stop before colliding with the white thing. But before he could slow down very much, his right shoe met something small and hard, and suddenly he was flying headfirst towards the cloudy white blob. Ryoma looked under him, wondering what it was which made him trip, and saw a miniscule, rather innocent-looking gray rock on the otherwise white pavement.

Ryoma Echizen's last thought as he flew into the floating glob (with a loud _schloop _and a violent sucking motion) was cursing the tiny pebble.

Everything whirled from then on. All that Ryoma could see was varying tones of red; up and down seemed reversed right then. Ryoma's stomach rolled as he himself twisted and turned in the nothingness. His ears popped once and started ringing. A distant voice called out from somewhere; it sounded like "Eek choo" or something. Strange. However, in a few seconds, his crimson surroundings slowly condensed into a strange, unfamiliar scene which (oddly enough) mimicked the green darkness of a dense forest, and...

* * *

**A/N: Ciaossu(Hello); I hoped you enjoyed the first part of my first fanfiction, and my first crossover at that. So many firsts!**

**Yes, I know it's a killer cliffhanger(and a short one at that), but Chapter One is just a click away!**

**Disclaimer: I disclaim Pokemon and Prince of Tennis. Of course all the while wishing I didn't.**

**A cookie to anyone who gets the reference in the first word(more firsts?) of the first Author's Note!**


	2. Insanity

**Satoshi's POV**

"Come on out, Pikachu!" The shout rang out in the large stadium, where hundreds upon thousands of people and Pokemon were watching and cheering. A twelve-year-old boy wearing a short-sleeved dark blue shirt and denim blue jeans adjusted his red-and-white cap just a little. Then he threw out a small red-and-white ball, which bounced once and opened to let out a strange red essence. It quickly formed into the shape of a Pokemon and it revealed a Pikachu.

The boy – Satoshi – smirked just a little as he saw Pikachu stand still and stare. He had coaxed him into going into his never-used Poke Ball - "Just for a few minutes, okay Pikachu?" - because the sixth rule for the Thousand-Battle Arena was that "Thou shalt keep your Pokeemon in thy Pokee Ball until thy battle." Satoshi figured that Pikachu was either tensed up for their next battle, or standing and silently rejoicing in the light breeze and soft green grass. He left him standing for a while.

For he himself was jazzed to almost be fighting this battle. How many people really go to the Thousand-Battle Arena and make it to Floor 990 in it? The Thousand Battles Challenge was said to be the one true test to become a Pokemon Master. Really, it was much harder than a few gym battles, or the fighting of Elite Fours and Region Champions.

In this Arena, many people had tried and failed to reach the 1,000th floor by fighting hundreds of Wild Pokemon. Only the best Wild Pokemon were brought to this Arena. Sometimes it was just one Wild Pokemon against one of the Trainer's; others were double battles or even triple battles, which allowed the winning Trainers to go up two or three floors, respectively.

The only way that Satoshi could become the one true Pokemon Master for the four explored Regions was to reach the Golden Trophy that awaited claim on the 1,001st floor of the Thousand-Battle Arena. Of course, to do that, he must beat the thousand Wild Pokemon in the Thousand Battles Challenge. And now, he was just ten intense battles away from reaching that ultimately prized Golden Trophy.

Satoshi then waited for his opponent. A gust of wind ruffled his midnight-black hair. An ancient-looking door straight across from him slowly creaked open. A hush fell on the audience, also watching and waiting. The ground was shaken slightly by footsteps. A large orange head popped out of the opened door, then let out a massive roar, spewing bright orange and yellow flames toward the blue sky. It snorted once, sending out a puff of dark gray smoke, and came out into the open, with dark teal wings spread wide and white claws out, ready for battle. The door behind it slowly clanged shut. It roared once more, almost as if to say "I am your opponent, and I will defeat you!"

It was a Charizard, a huge dragonlike beast much like Satoshi's own. However, this was no ordinary Charizard. Satoshi could see that its horns were sharply pointed and its claws were far longer than any other Charizard's. There was a subtle look of ancientness about this Pokemon, as if it had come from a much older time. And Satoshi noted that some of the Charizards in the audience were cowering slightly, mighty though they were. They looked about to fly to the Pokemon and bow down, or maybe just run to the nearest exit.

It was legendary - not in the same sense as Articuno and Mew, but legendary in its own way. Myths and children's bedtime stories claimed that this was the first ever Charizard to soar the skies. It was said to eternally be using Rage, and thus truly be able to melt anything with its fire. The flame at the end of a Charizard's tail was said to burn a whitish blue color if the Charizard was furious, and this old Charizard had a permanently sky blue tail flame. Some called it Roarizard, because its incredibly loud roar was said to be able to deafen young Pokemon's ears. Most called it the ChariBeast - stories told of it tearing up whole hills and causing innumerable forest fires. Many people claimed ancient Pokemon scratches and "writings" depicted its true name - Kawazard.

Satoshi's eyes widened just a bit, wondering if the ChariBeast could defeat him after his coming so far. Then he grinned, and some could almost see the fire in his eyes: It was the look of determination. After all, how could this Charizard beat his Pikachu? Surely Pikachu was no less than level 100 after beating so many Trainers across the regions.

Satoshi's eyes gleamed as he opened his mouth to speak the words that would begin the battle...

**Ryoma's POV**

Admittedly, Ryoma had absolutely no idea what was going on. When did everything go wrong? First he was running, late for the seniors' graduation. Then he had toppled into the white floating thing, and now he was here - "here" being who-knows-where, in a weird yellow costume, being stared at by thousands of people and even more animals, and directly facing a roaring orange beast.

Then it hit.

He'd been wondering and staring and figuring and speculating and puzzling over what had happened to him, when two conclusions hit him at the same time.

First, he realized that the white floating thing he had fallen through on his way to Seigaku was a portal. Like science fiction, it was a gateway, to another place – another world – another universe.

For that was what he was in – another universe.

However, that was not the more important of Ryoma Echizen's two realizations.

About when Ryoma had discovered he was in a different place – certainly not Seigaku, at the very least – a faint, extremely dim memory had begun to come to him, borne of seeing the colorful "animals" in the audience. It was from when he was younger and still watched cartoons. A blurry memory… of a boy clad in blue… and a small creature. What was the name? Ah, yes… a _Pokemon._

That didn't explain it - not at first. However, Ryoma slowly realized what was happening. First, the white portal. Second, the whirling and the bright red, coupled with the voice sounding like "Eek choo." Third, the fact that he was staring at a huge orange dragon, and that that thousands of Pokemon were staring at him.

But no. No. How could this be? Why in the world would there be a portal to the Pokemon world, right at the entrance of his school, on this day of all days? On the day all the Seigaku seniors would leave Seigaku? On the day Karupin delayed him from going to their graduation?

What on Earth (_or _not_ on Earth_, Ryoma thought) had happened to him? Had he been turned into… a Pokemon? No, he still had human limbs, and he was standing upright on two legs, but was in a strange costume. _A very poorly made costume_, Ryoma thought. It was bright yellow, and a zig-zagging thing was jutting from the rear. Like a tail. Was he in a Pikachu costume?

And all the while he had been thinking, his body absolutely could not respond. He could only stand there, staring straight ahead, receiving no sensory input but hearing because the roar of the dragon and the cheer of the audience were both deafening. And yet - Ryoma suddenly realized that he_ knew_ what the orange monster was saying. He could _understand_ what the Pokemon was bellowing! He wasn't so sure now that he was still human.

At that point the first thought of going crazy came to Ryoma's mind.

Was this just an insane delusion, cooked up by his brain because of the white floating whatever? Was it possible that the floating thing was not a portal but a chemical that had messed up his mind? Was there any was to escape if this truly was the case? Or was it possible that he truly _was_ in the world of this cartoon, somehow?

_I should be thrown in the local asylum for this_, Ryoma thought. _This is madness. This is blasphemy. This is INSANITY!_

But he eventually resolved to just wait and do what he was told by "his" Trainer, the boy in blue, until the illusion ended, or he was transported back to Japan, or he could find the quickest way of killing himself, which seemed to be the orange beast right in front of him.

Ryoma wondered what he was to do next, though. He certainly didn't have any "powers" true Pokemon had. He doubted that he could fight off a real, live Charizard. Looking at it, with its sharp claws and huge teeth, he very much thought the thing could chomp him in two, right then and there.

For all the universes in the world, he wasn't a Pikachu! He was no Pokemon! He was the only freshman belonging to Seigaku's regulars. He was Ryoma Echizen, son of "Samurai" Nanjiroh Echizen! He was the –

"Prince of Tennis! I am the Prince of Tennis!"

Silence.

**Satoshi's POV**

Satoshi stared at his buddy, Pikachu, with eyes almost bugging out and mouth hanging open, about to say the rest of "All right, Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" He snapped his mouth shut. What was wrong with Pikachu? Yelling at the sky like that... What would cause his Pikachu to suddenly shout out a "Pika-pikaaaa!"? It didn't sound like a battle cry, or a nervous stutter, or a victory chant.

It sounded like a denial.

After a dreadful half-minute of silence - the audience hushed, Satoshi staring, even the ancient Charizard speculating - the old beast let out a gigantic roar, and most people in the audience jumped. The ChariBeast swished its enormous tail side to side several times, as though impatient for the battle to start.

Satoshi remembered what he was doing, which was the Thousand Battles Challenge. He told Pikachu to try shocking the Charizard with a Thunderbolt. It complied(Satoshi breathed a sigh of relief - normal Pikachu) but their enemy was far too quick for that. It crouched, then half jumped, half flew up into the sky. Its eyes(a rare crimson instead of sky blue) glinted, and it growled a bit - not menacingly, but almost like it was laughing at Satoshi and Pikachu.

Satoshi twisted his cap around so that it was backwards, his temper suddenly bursting into a flame hotter than that Charizard's. He'd show him! Pikachu dodged the Flamethrower that was sent its way and, on word of Satoshi, jumped and used Quick Attack on the Charizard. Pikachu was almost too slow - it slammed the Charizard's tail, but got its tail flame in the face. The Mouse Pokemon fell back to earth with a cry. It jumped back up, slightly singed but otherwise unharmed. Charizard then tried to use Seismic Toss, but wasn't fast enough and recieved an Iron Tail. It roared once more, and Pikachu whimpered, dropping its ears. Such a roar two feet from the beast was excruciatingly painful for Satoshi's first Pokemon.

Satoshi covered his ears and frowned in concentration, trying to think of a way to defeat this Charizard. He wasn't sure Pikachu could take many more loud roars like that one. But there had to be a way of winning the battle against the ChariBeast. And the twelve-year-old figured it out - Pikachu's speed. If the Charizard was on the ground - and Pikachu kept up Quick Attacking - possibly it would get too fatigued to battle?

Right then it swept down for a Dragon Claw - looking anything_ but _fatigued - and Satoshi told Pikachu to dodge and use Volt Tackle, just in time to avoid a nasty swipe. Although it was weak, coming from such close range, Pikachu's Volt Tackle was super-effective. So much that it took the Charizard down for a moment. It looked paralyzed. Satoshi grinned - lucky!

In about 2 seconds, the entire audience realized what was happening and gave a tremendous cheer. It was astounding after their holding their breath in silence for so long. Kasumi, Takeshi, Haruka, and Hikari - all sitting in VIP spots in the Thousand-Battle Arena - cheered for Satoshi until their throats were hoarse. The Pokemon in the audience - both Wild and Trainer's - cawed, screeched, roared, and shouted their names. (Any Pokemon there could hear that they were also cheering for Satoshi.)

Satoshi gained new confidence after hearing the cheers from a hundred thousand mouths. The Charizard slowly rose again, still paralyzed but far from giving up. The battle would be hard, but Satoshi was sure he and Pikachu could make it through. However, Pikachu was looking less optimistic, so Satoshi shouted something to get both their hopes up.

"Come on, Pikachu, we can do it! We'll show the Kawazard what we're made of!"

To which Pikachu responded with a strange and stunning little "Pi... ka... chu? ..."

* * *

**A/N: So, here is Chapter One of Ten Set Matches. I know I made Ryoma a little OOC there. Maybe more than just a little. *evil smile***

**I'm sure some of you are wondering why Satoshi (and a hundred thousand people and Pokemon) haven't noticed by now that Pikachu is not Pikachu but Ryoma Echizen. Well, I'll explain that next chapter. Mwahaha - I'm keeping the suspense coming!**

**Read, Rate, and Review to Reveal the next Chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Pokemon and Prince of Tennis DEFINITELY do not belong to me.**


	3. Impossibility

**Ryoma's POV**

Kawazard.

The one name pulsed in Ryoma's mind like someone beating on a drum.

Kawazard.

Ryoma Echizen just could not believe his ears. His fully human ears.

Kawazard.

His mind wheeled around in answerless circles around the name.

Kawazard.

Ryoma eventually decided that the world had turned upside down and backwards - even more than it already had.

Kawazard.

Bad enough that he was stuck in this fantasy world. Worse was that Kawamura-senpai, the number one power player in Japan, was stuck with him.

Kawazard - a portmanteau using "Kawamura" and "Charizard."

Eventually the shattered pieces started to fit together. Slowly. One by one, Ryoma organized the events in his mind. And it all made sense... Well, unless you counted the fact that nothing made sense since he tripped on the little gray pebble.

_So this is what happened,_ Ryoma Echizen thought, having a very recent flashback.

===o_o===

_"Prince of Tennis! I am the Prince of Tennis!" I had screamed._

_I could feel the Trainer's stare - the audience's stares - boring into the back of my head. A sweat drop slid down my neck. _That _was a stupid thing to yell to the world. But what was done, was done, and I couldn't change it._

_What had made me shout out like that? Maybe my impending madness was just inevitable._

_The orange beast - Charrzard, was it called? - roared, and I jumped. __After "my" Trainer had recovered from even more mental shock, he started the battle with a single command._

_"All right Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"_

_The strangest feeling had come over me then. The feeling of.. of obedience. Of wanting to serve, to help my Trainer, yes, _my_ Trainer. Like he was my partner and I his. We were _companions. _Friends._

_No! No! NO! NO!** NO! **I wasn't this Trainer's Pikachu! I never went with this guy to who-knows-how-many different places and traveled all across the Pokemon world. That wasn't me. That was some yellow rat somewhere, not me. No. I denied everything to do with this Trainer besides these few minutes/hours(really, I didn't know how much time had passed) of this insane delusion of battling this... BEAST._

_However, that didn't change the feeling of wanting to follow this twelve- or thirteen-year-old's order. The compulsion to_ do_ it grew and grew until there was no more fighting it, no more resistance. It was compulsory._

_But I still didn't know what I was supposed to do. How could I, a human being in a Pikachu costume, use a Thunderbolt on this gigantic dragon?_

_Thinking of the dragon led me to wondering about the words it had roared. Mostly, that was just one word._

_"BUUUUUUUUUURRRNIIIIING!"_

_Charrzard was a Fire-type Pokemon, and I thought craziness might not have been rare among Pokemon. I didn't know what it meant until now._

_But anyway, about the time that I was pondering over the words of this Charrzard(a few minutes ago), a tennis racket materialized out of nowhere. Actually, two tennis rackets: one just like my old one back in Japan, and one in the clawed clutch of the Charrzard. Also, a tennis ball appeared in my left hand. I stared at it. Where had it come from?_

_The compulsion to follow directions from my Trainer started again, having subsided slightly with the appearance of the tennis rackets. But now, I knew I had a Thunderbolt to do, or to attempt._

_It seemed to me that my brain went dumb for a second, because I had only one thought for about a minute after that._

Twist Serve! Use the freaking Twist Serve! Tennis racket in right hand. Tennis ball in left. An opponent right there holding a tennis racket. Twist Serve!

_So, surprise surprise, I used the Twist Serve._

_And the Charrzard(or was it Char_i_zard?) stepped back and barely managed to return it - with about the force of a wrecking ball._

_It blew past me, like a rocket__. Like a meteor._

_I stopped short in surprise. This wasn't the Kawamura-senpai I knew and loved(or feared, more like)._

_This was a totally different person from the Takashi Kawamura who had beaten Ishida Gin in the Nationals. How would I beat my senpai's enormous amount of power? Too much of trying to return his Hadoukyuu(any version!) would result in two permanently broken arms._

Why did this have to happen to _me__? I thought angrily. _Love-15..._ I added, rather sarcastically._

_"Victory belongs to me! " Kawamura-Charizard growled, and I caught a glimpse of Kawamura-senpai's BURNING expression in between the jaws of the Charizard. He was wearing a costume, too?_

_The following points in the tennis match was short but intense..._

===T_T===

...And here Ryoma was, panting, and losing, 15-40. The Pikachu costume was stifling hot. Ryoma suddenly had an errant thought.

_What is going ON here? Surely a hundred thousand people have noticed Ryoma-chu and Kawazard duking it out in a tennis match by now?_

Echizen looked around warily. The crowd was cheering and shouting and waving their arms - or seemed to be waving their arms. Ryoma's sight was dimmed slightly, but nose and ears sharpened as a result. He wondered if that was Pikachu-like.

However, the larger part of his brain was focused on the fact that nobody was looking confused or shocked or demanding that Ryoma be taken out of the stadium. He turned around, looking directly in the eyes of "his" Trainer. If he were really Ryoma, that person would see nothing more or less than a boy in a Pikachu costume.

But all the Trainer did was smile at him and say, "Don't worry Pikachu, we can do this!"

Now utterly bewildered, Ryoma looked up at the enormous screen on the wall above and behind the Kawamura-Charizard. It was showing a Pikachu and a Charizard battling. Showing what had happened less than 2 minutes ago.

Ryoma's heart skipped two beats, then started again at record speed.

That screen did not show two humans in Pokemon costumes duking it out in a tennis match. Not at all.

It showed a REAL Pikachu, a REAL Charizard, battling.

No. No way. This was impossible. That screen was impossible. What Ryoma's brown (and, to be honest, slightly overly large) eyes were telling him was impossible. Everything in this freaking _Pokemon-filled_ world was impossible.

Not people - Pokemon.

**Satoshi's POV**

Satoshi gave Pikachu a puzzled frown. That yell ten minutes ago, that strange stuttered squeak five minutes ago, and now a strange look around and at the electronic screen. What was wrong with Pikachu? Perhaps it recieved a case of Pokerus somehow? Satoshi didn't know much about the myth of Pokerus, only remembering late-at-night bedtime stories. It stunted a Pokemon's stat growth somehow, he was sure. Maybe he would have Nurse Joy check on Pikachu later.

But hopefully Pikachu would hold out until then. The ChariBeast was still paralyzed, and Satoshi would make the most out of it while it still lasted.

"Pikachu, now's the time for the new technique we've been practicing! Use the Heavenly Lightning Destruction!"

"Pika?" Satoshi could _almost _hear Pikachu's "What?" in his head. Under normal circumstances, this was a finishing combo attack, not a mid-battle takedown.

But this was by no means a normal circumstance. The ChariBeast barely broke a sweat, but was sluggish from being paralyzed. Pikachu was tired from the short but intense battle of endurance. Pikachu had taken part of a nasty-looking Dragon Claw, but its Static had piled onto the Charizard's paralysis even more.

Pikachu was tired and worn. But the enemy was paralyzed.

The time was _now._

"Pikachu! Do it!"

Somehow, Pikachu heard Satoshi and found the strength for a fairly good Quick Attack. The big old Charizard was too slow to get out of Pikachu's way quickly. It took a Quick Attack in its large and prominent yellow belly; the wind was knocked out of it and it snorted out a puff of gray smoke and ashes. Pikachu jumped away, only to turn around right before landing and give the ChariBeast an Iron Tail to the head. Pikachu received a large Slash in the way of a thank-you. It was an indirect hit, but PIkachu cried out. _Man, those claws must have been _sharp, Satoshi thought.

"Keep at it, Pikachu!" Satoshi said,

"Pika!" was the response. Pikachu danced backward, out of the Charizard's reach, and yelled out to the heavens.

And very suddenly a large mass of dark gray clouds came rolling in from nowhere. Everything turned dark with the appearance of the nearly-black clouds, which were now emitting sparks for some odd reason. A Plusle and a Minun standing by - the judges - used very low-power Discharges to light up the Thousand-Battle Arena.

Triumphant, Pikachu shouted again, and a blinding Thunder came down and struck the Charizard, eliminating the need for any Plusle- or Minun-lighting. The lightning bolt brightened so much that everybody shielded their eyes. The Charizard roared so loudly that Satoshi thought his ears were going to burst. Then the beast fell.

Satoshi waited. Pikachu stood, also waiting. The large and once-loud audience was now holding its breath in anticipation. The Plusle and Minun judges were gazing intently at the Charizard's head, waiting for the swirly eyes that marked a Pokemon's fainting. The ChariBeast looked finished.

But as the saying goes, looks _can_ be decieving. After a tense, silent moment, the ChariBeast opened its bloodred eyes. He slowly rose and gave himself a little shake, as if to shrug off some of the damage. Its slit red eyes gleamed dangerously - no longer slightly mischievous. More like malevolent. The fire and flying dragon gave out a tremendous roar, just as loud as when it was being hit by lightning, if not louder. But that roar carried hate and anger, rather than pain.

Satoshi could tell that this Charizard was big, bossy, and a bully among other Wild Pokemon - it definitely didn't like losing to what seemed to him like a foolish little Pikachu. Though heavily injured and paralyzed, not to mention exhausted, this Pokemon would fight to its very last move. Fight for its pride, if nothing else.

Yet something not completely tangible was gleaming in the eyes of Satoshi, the Trainer. Fear? Exhilaration? Triumph? Amazement? Later on, Kasumi had admitted that she "would never know for sure in the history of eternity."

"Even after the Heavenly Lightning Destruction, this Charizard's not giving up until the end! We'll be no worse, Pikachu!" Satoshi said. "Now, give it a Thunderbolt!"

**Ryoma's POV**

Ryoma stood by, panting. One more game. One more game. One more game for the win. Using the Cyclone Destruction***** had given Ryoma two points and the fifth game. Kawamura-senpai had but 4 games. One more game.

He was tired. He was hungry. He was cursing the whole wide world he was now in. But he only had to win one more game.

And he did.

It didn't take a genius to realize that Kawamura-senpai was exhausted and near his limit, too. Using two of the three doors of Muga No Kyouchi - Hyaku Ren Jitoku no Kiwami and Saikikanpatsu no Kiwami - he had taken the last game and won.

His ears practically exploded when the audience burst out in one huge motion and sound. It was approximately ten times louder than this orange dragon's loudest roar. Ryoma covered his ears and hoped he wouldn't go deaf. To be honest, his earing _did _diminish slightly, but that was cured later.

The Kawazard was sprawled out on the ground, for some reason. Ryoma guessed it was because of exhaustion.

"Good job, Pikachu! You deserve a good rest!" Ryoma heard "his" Trainer say to "him." Echizen heard a hard _smack_ from something round and hard and a pinprick of pain. He realized it was "his" Poke Ball when everything around him slowly faded to red until he could see nothing but a bright crimson. He had the sensation of shrinking, though it seemed more like he was falling with feet firmly planted.

Then the _fun_ began.

It was like being thrown into a washing machine on spin cycle in a terrible tornado. Everything around Echizen whirled, though fortunately not as horribly as when Ryoma had first entered the portal. His head spun. His ears rang again. For a long moment, he couldn't imagine anything besdies this red, whirling nothingness.

But only for a moment. Soon, somehow, the world righted itself. Ryoma could only register the fact that bright blue skies were present before he fell to the ground, still stunned by the whirling sensation of being sucked back into the Poke Ball. After a minute lying facedown, he slowly got up onto his knees, then climbed to his feet. Exhaustion and weariness and even injuries were forgotten as he gazed in wonder at the incredible sight before him. Perhaps seeing was believing, but Echizen couldn't bring himself to believe what his eyes were telling him. The one word Ryoma spoke didn't even begin to describe his feelings.

"Amazing..."

* * *

**A/N: * Cyclone = Teikiatsu; Heavenly Lightning Attack =Tokkan Amatsu. Ryoma "misheard" Satoshi's instruction, in a way, and used his own technique. Not much of a pun, but the best I could get... Forgive me if it sucks, I know almost nothing about the language. More on Cyclone Destruction in the future.**

**And heeeere's Chapter 2. Refer to my profile if you want an estimate of when the next part of this story will come.  
That is, if I get a review or two. Yeah, that's right. I refuse to continue without a review. Surely one more of the ten or so who visited the last chapter could spare a few digital words? Sixty seconds of opinion? A minute of typing? Just one little minute? Or two? Or ten?**

**...Wait, what?**

**Disclaimer: If I owned either Pokemon or Prince Of Tennis, I would be screaming that out to the world. So I don't.**


	4. Ecstasy

**Nurse Joy's POV**

Fingertip-sized motion detectors quietly signaled that the Thousand Battles Challenger was approaching the Pokemon Center with a soft _bing_. Nurse Joy #QWERTY(she absolutely hated her ID code) sighed in relief – the more business at a Pokemon Center, the better – and pushed a tiny secret button underneath her counter to turn on that unmistakable Pokemon Center music. She looked in the hidden mirror on the blue wall behind her, arranging her features into a kind, innocent smile and holding them there. The nurse then concealed the mirror and turned around just in time, for Satoshi was just entering, holding a Poke Ball.

Using her trained, professional's tone of voice, Nurse Joy #QWERTY said, "Hello, and welcome to the Thousand Battles Pokemon Center, Satoshi!"

Satoshi blurted out, "I've met you 990 times before so far, Nurse Joy…."

Nurse Joy #QWERTY opened her mouth, but stopped herself before she said something about his rudeness. That would be a very unprofessional thing to say. She had to remember that she was at the Thousand-Battles Stadium Pokemon Center, not back in Sandgem Town in the Sinnoh region. Luckily, this boy – Satoshi – didn't seem to notice.

Satoshi continued, " Anyway, Pikachu here is in a bad way after going against that Charizard. Slashes cover him from head to tail. Also, may I have a Pokerus check on him? He's been acting kind of strange lately."

Nurse Joy nodded, making her utterly strange red hairstyle bounce slightly. "We will tend to Pikachu right away," she said, taking Pikachu's Poke Ball from Satoshi. "We will do our best and fastest to fully recover Pikachu. We'll check him for Pokerus as well, although no known symptons, abnormalties, or any other harmful things are caused by that peculiar virus. In the meantime, please rest in one of our rooms." The nurse waved off to the side. There were several plain rooms there, made for a Thousand Battles Challenger to rest in.

Satoshi thanked Nurse Joy and went off across the teal tiled floor to the hotel-like rooms. The moment he was out of sight, Nurse Joy pushed a tiny button on the wall - even smaller than the one made to turn on Pokemon Center music. It was extremely small and the exact same shade as the wall. Nobody noticed it, but all Nurse Joys had to remember where it was.

Instantly, the entire wall and some of the floor shifted around. The wall spun clockwise so that Nurse Joy #DUIAX3 took her place at the counter, seeming rather annoyed by the interruption of reading her favorite book. Nurse Joy #QWERTY was behind the wall and now inside the Nursing Room, which was where the nurses kept their special healing equipment. The Thousand Battles Pokemon Center wasn't as amazing or elaborate as the so-called "Game" Pokemon Centers. Those Nurse Joys used a machine which could heal six Poke Balls in seconds. This Pokemon Center wasn't as top-notch, but at least it wasn't like the normal town Pokemon Centers. The healing devices here were slow but sure.

Nurse Joy #QWERTY put Satoshi's Pikachu's Poke Ball into the small slot on the recovery machine in the right corner of the Nursing Room. She made sure all the wires were connected to the computer and the power source(also known as her Ampharos, Lightning), then flicked on the switch. Immediately the gray device started to glow blue and hum. Jolts of electricity ran across the long wires, feeding information to the computer.

The reading on the computer said 47.2 HOURS UNTIL FULL HEALTH. This Nurse Joy smiled and watched the machine for a while. After a few minutes, the blue glow changed to red, indicating that analyzation of the Pikachu was complete and healing had started. Nurse Joy #QWERTY(she honestly, absolutely detested the ID number, but at least it wasn't as bad as... DUIAX3) checked everything one more time, remembering to flick the red switch for POKERUS CHECK. Then the nurse left the room.

The glowing silver machine hummed on.

**Ryoma's POV**

"No. Freaking. Way."

Ryoma looked around at the place he was in. It was astounding. A grassy meadow as far as the eye could see, with several hills and a grayish mountain in the distance. One narrow river flowed down from the mountains and into a large, sky blue lake. Flowers dotted the grassy meadow everywhere, pink and yellow and red and white and purple, and trees sporting bright-colored fruit were scattered here and there. The sky overhead had only a few white clouds, which looked like large, puffy cotton balls. The buttery yellow sun shone brightly.

Ryoma slowly realized that_ this_ was what awaited a Pokemon. A strange but peaceful land, protected within the sphere that was a Poke Ball.

Yet, something wasn't right here. The meadows, the mountains, the river... Ryoma slowly realized that nothing would change here. Nobody was there to share this with. It was bright, but empty. Astounding, but also, in a way, boring. _No wonder Pikachu didn't like going into his Poke Ball in the anime. Now that I think about it, I don't, either._

As soon as Echizen realized that, all his weariness from the match with Kawamura-senpai returned, crashing down on him so suddenly that he fell to his knees. He managed to drag his (somewhat literally bloody) self to the shade of a large apple tree near the lake. He took one of the juicy red fruits and crunched into it. It was delicious; almost too much so. Ryoma felt new energy flow into him with every bite of the apple. After two more, Ryoma drank some of the river water, which was pure and refreshing, then lay down under the tree for a nap.

It didn't last very long. To Ryoma, it seemed only a few seconds before he woke again, for some reason or other. The sun was lower in the sky by a bit. And... somehow, the sky was blue. Not "regular" blue, but somehow more blue than it was before. It was a slightly darker but more intense blue now. A strange, soft humming came from somewhere. The Prince of Tennis frowned. Maybe he was totally and completely having a mental breakdown. But he had realized that if he didn't stop trying to figure out for what reason he had been teleported here - on Graduation Day, of all days! - he really _would_ have a mental breakdown, eventually. Ryoma went back to sleep, not at all noticing that his weariness was lessened a by a bit - and not because of his nap.

Suddenly and abruptly, Ryoma Echizen woke with a gasp. (Again, it seemed that his doze was only half a minute long.) The sky was no longer a much-bluer-than-just-blue. It was more violet-tinged now. Also, a very peculiar sensation had started to come over Ryoma, more weird than in the match with the so-called "Demigod" Yukimura Seiichi, when he had literally lost his senses. He couldn't quite place what it was, though. He frowned. _What is going on in here or out there? _However, after a minute or two, all concious thoughts were stopped in favor of one astounding feeling, one overpowering emotion.

Ecstasy.

New energy was pouring into Ryoma - faster than a hundred strange, sweet Poke Ball-generated apples or a thousand cups of weird sparkling blue water could ever have done. His reddened and sore arms were healing as he watched, the adjectives no longer applying. Wounds were scarring and fading right before his eyes. Dried blood was disappearing into nowhere. He felt better than ever before, laughing at the sheer joy of... whatever.

After a few minutes, Ryoma's brain had somewhat organized itself and he was able to form coherent thoughts, pushing away the sensation of intense optimism. He noticed that the bright Poke Ball-generated sunshine of afternoon was gone. The purple sky had become pinkish orange dusk, and the light was quickly fading to the very dark purple of nighttime. A sliver of crescent moon was already visible.

Ryoma curled up under the same apple tree as the one he took some apples from. Though his previous exhaustion was now long gone, he wanted to sleep more than a few minutes.

Ryoma was amazingly optimistic and incredibly happy(even though he was still semi-captured in a not-very-large red-and-white sphere). And as he reveled in this ecstasy and started to drift off to unconciousness, he thought.

And thought.

And wondered.

And drank some of the sparkling river water to slake his mild thirst.

And thought some more.

And what he thought was: Where is the _real_ Pikachu?

Until, dreamless, ecstatic, Ryoma slept.

**Pikachu's POV**

_Run. Hide. Run. Hide. RunRunRun! RUUUUUN!_

Such thoughts were going through little Pikachu's head. The mascot of the Pokemon universe was crawling on its belly, under a bush in a park not too far from Seishun Gakuen Junior High, where it had teleported to. It narrowed its large eyes, trying to match the strange creatures around the area to any of the 493 it already knew of. None were the same. Maybe it was in the newest region? The Fifth Generation? But how?

And where was its Satoshi?

The electric-Type rushed out of its hiding spot, shocking some sort of Flying-type. Pikachu demanded what was going on with a flurry of "Pika-Pika!"s. The bird gave an unfamiliar twitter and managed to flutter away to a branch a few feet to a nearby oak tree.

Pikachu sat where it was, frustrated. The language of Pokemon was relatively universal. Although different species of Pokemon were heavily accented, words were understandable most of the time. But this creature's word was wordless, unlike any Pokemon that electric mouse had ever heard before.

It wondered****** - could the creature be, perhaps, not a Pokemon? Possibly... a Lamina?

But no. Laminas - which where of great shape and variety - only existed in the Big Glowing Picture Box that Pikachu had seen oftentimes at Trainers' buildings. The Mouse Pokemon dismissed the idea with a shake of his head. Perhaps what he had seen was a Transformed Ditto.

The Pokemon rose from its rest position, twitching its ears and zig-zagging tail. Was that a rustle it heard?

There it was again. Pikachu stood, absolutely motionless. It seemed to be coming from near a large flowery - not to mention thorny - rosebush.

A rustle of shining green leaves, a snapping and breaking of thin branches... a mighty crash through undergrowth.

"IT'S A PIKACHU!" the nine-year-old girl screamed - her hazel eyes filled with tears of joy, her pink sleeves wet from wiping away the tears, her light blue jeans caked in small leaves and dirt, her arms wide open to crush the Pokemon in a hug. The kid's mother was seen a few feet back, trying frantically to chase the girl.

Frozen in shock, the Mouse Pokemon could only watch for an instant.

The child reached out with her left hand and pulled the little Pikachu's tail. A mistake: very suddenly that hand was being bitten by an angry Pikachu.

Pikachu did the only thing that made sense to it then - it bolted...

**Ryoma's POV**

It was light again when he woke up. Something was off, somehow. Take it from a Junior High School Student who mastered all three Pillars of Muga no Kyouchi, something was off. The sky's reddish violet tint was gone, replaced by a yellowish color. The boy immediately disliked the green tint that was surrounding the puffy clouds and bright, shining sun.

Ryoma didn't realize it for a while, but ecstasy had ended.

What he _did_ realize was that he faintly felt like he was being scanned, somehow. He felt ill at ease. He felt like he needed to pull a dressing gown over his brain, because a criminal was staring at him with that look that says "Die now." He felt... he couldn't describe how he felt, but something was going to happen.

Something bad.

And, all of a sudden, tremors rocked the sphere that contained Ryoma. Like an earthquake, everything shook. Ryoma was thrown around, splashing in the little river, slamming into an orange tree, then down onto the flowers. The sky flashed different colors - sick green, happy purple, strange deep blue, _more_ sick green - and finally dark.

Everything in Ryoma's vision was green and grassy, then black.

**Nurse Joy's POV**

Nurse Joy #QWERTY rushed to the Nursing Room. Was that an explosion that she just heard? Why in the world did the Leisure Room happen to be so damned_ far_ from where the Pokemon where being healed? Finally, the elevator came up, opening with a _ding_. Nurse Joy #QWERTY ran inside and hastily mashed the button for Ground Floor and Close Doors, drumming her fingers on the steel wall while waiting for the elevator to go down. Music was playing - the usual stupid elevator music - and it irritated the impatient nurse to no end. Could the lift - or _vertical transport equipment_, as _some_ liked to say) be any _slower_? Nurse Joy screamed at the world in her mind. _Pokemon might be in danger! Trainers might be in danger! My _salary_ might be in danger! Go! Go! Go!_

Proving that _some_body was a little off in their head that day...

Upon reaching the first floor, the Pokemon nurse ran to the Nursing Room, seeing... foam.

Nurse Joy #DUIAX3 was already there, holding out a fire extinguisher and spraying out a white stream of carbon dioxide to douse the flickering orange fire that had, somehow, ignited.

"It was during the Pokerus check." Her face a question mark, Nurse Joy #QWERTY turned to #DUIAX3.

"I don't really know what happened; there were sparks flying around when I came. That Healer Machine," #DUIAX3 said, pointing a somewhat burnt finger at the one holding Satoshi's Pikachu, "was malfunctioning during the Pokerus check. It was flashing all different colors. The computer screen read something like LIFE-FORM UNRECOGNIZED. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN COMMENCING IN 0:30 in red." Nurse Joy #DUIAX3 paused to take a breath.

"After the timer appeared, some sparks and very dark smoke emitted from the back of the device, and the device itself was shaking. I didn't know what to do besides hit the power switch, but the machine kept running! And when the timer counted down to zero, all lights went black and a thin cord snapped, throwing a bolt of electricity into the air. That same wire started the electrical fire, and the machine was a goner," Nurse Joy #DUIAX3 finished matter-of-factly.

"So that's what happened," #QWERTY muttered, looking at the white, foamy, fire-extinguished destruction site. Suddenly she reached down in the corner near the ruined burnt metal of what once was a good Healer Machine. "Whoever's responsible for _this_," the Nurse Joy said, seething with rage while brandishing a piece of melted plastic, "will have to_ pay_ for repairs." *******

"I wonder..." murmured #DUIAX3. She seemed to be lost in thought.

Distracted as well, but with anger, Nurse Joy #QWERTY answered, "Hmmm?"

"Nurse Joy #PADDFF was here earlier today. You know how clumsy she is..."

Nurse Joy #QWERTY scowled. #PADDFF was well-known for her messiness as well as her clumsiness. It wasn't hard to imagine her entering the Nursing Room and "accidentally" dropping a water bottle or something(again). With the slightly slanted floor it would easily roll to the corner where no one would notice(and where a lot of things seemed to end up in, for some reason).

Sighing, the nurse picked up Satoshi's Poke Ball, which was lying on the ground next to the broken device. She checked it over for any damage - it had a few dark marks, but nothing more - and exited. If the Healer Machine had been checking it for Pokerus already, then Satoshi's utterly famous Pikachu was probably finished healing. Nurse Joy #QWERTY (hated the ID name!) pushed the small secret button and walked outside the Nursing Room to the beige-colored rooms where Satoshi was staying and waiting.

**Two days later...**

**Satoshi's POV**

"Aregato, Nurse Joy," said Satoshi, taking back Pikachu's Poke Ball. _Time to ascend to the next floor! _he thought excitedly. The nurse bowed and left.

The TV screen in front of Satoshi flickered green with GO! on it, signaling that it was time. Satoshi stepped out of the room, out of the building, onto floor 991. Stepping onto the gold-colored Thousand-Battles escalator once again, Satoshi was cheered on to the next floor. Floor 992 out of one thousand. The floor on which he had to face his next enemy, which was...

Satoshi stopped in his tracks and stared at the only Pokemon not in the stands. Unseen by most, he clutched Pikachu's Poke Ball tighter, thinking _It's time, Pikachu._

Behind the thick iron bars on floor 992 was a kawaii Poochyena-faced Pikachu.

* * *

**A/N: ******I always thought that most Pokemon were not quite rocket scientists, but definitely more intelligent than the average animal. Most animals can't "wonder", can't imagine the concept of "why?", can't think "What if... Then?" like humans can. Yet, Pokemon connect to their Trainers in a way that is beyond and above the relationship of a man and his "best friends"(dogs). Not quite as smart as humans, but still able to think_ like_ them, walking the fine line between simplistic animals and above-and-beyond humans. You know? Confusing, but... there you go. That's what I think, anyway.**

***** Electricity is current flowing through a wire. If wires get too hot, they might melt. If a heat source is near the wire, it could melt/ignite at a much lower temperature than the wire. And that's how some electrical fires are formed(although mostly it's due to faulty wiring). KAPEESH? Er, I mean, CAPISCE? Okay, so I don't really know much about this kind of stuff. And...**

**G-_GOMENASAI, MINNA! _*stands up and bows so low that I hit my head on the keyboard/deaegrt... desk* Owww... I deserved that. This chapter was wayy overdue. But at least I had valid reasons... a certain family member had to have surgery for reasons that shall currently be left unknown...**

**Well, there goes Ecstasy... I hope you liked my... other... unusual... Points of View. I hope you had a laugh while reading, because I definitely did while writing and even editing. Just a refresher, bold means... author's note/POV change/some event, italics are thoughts or... emphasizers... and underline is a Japanese word, though you can probably tell.**

**Disclaimer: Do I really have to put this? I do not own Prince of Tennis. I do not own Pokemon. Geez! How many more times will I have to repeat that?**

**... What's that, Echizen Ryoma-kun? Wait, what? No! *sweatdrops* Of _course_ I'm not trying to make a futile attempt to lengthen Author's Note so that I can reach my personal goal of three thousand, four hundred fifty words for this chapter!... *shaky* Hahaha, what are you thinking?**

**Well, until next chapter... See you~ Again-desu! Hmph, I think I'm starting to get obsessed with references from certain other animes... Haru's Haru-Haru Interview: Dangerous, anyone? From Katekyo Hitman Reborn? *mutters to self about whether or not this EXTREMELY long Author's Note will be read by anybody, because it has more than 350 words and all***


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